Many Americans and the world population at large use prescription or over the counter drugs as well as vitamins and supplements at an increasing rate. In most cases these medications require strict instructions. With an aging population, reduced dexterity, impaired vision and the stress of everyday living, the dangers of a missing dose or overdose are very real. Some medications must be taken daily and at multiple intervals, while others only as needed. It is important for the patient or the caregiver to know when the last dose was taken to prevent an overdose. Losing track of the required medication regimen may result in a missed dose or an overdose, both of which can be dangerous to the patient's health. One study estimated that the elderly observe a 50% adherence to proper dose. That is translated into a 300 billion dollar problem. Serious illness or even death are also major concerns (Basca 2008).
There are a variety of attempted solutions, including pill cases, alarm devices, lists and reminder devices. With respect to pill cases, there are a myriad of different boxes and shapes divided into small containers or dividers to store pills for daily, weekly or monthly use. The pill containers can also come equipped with alarms. However, in most cases, costs and complexities make their appeal limited.
The prior art also includes patents relating to this technology. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,882 to Marshall relates to an indicator and more particularly to a mechanism permitting a patient to determine the number of doses of medicine taken or remaining to be ingested in a designated interval. The dose indicator is a molded plastic disk to which an indicator arm is connected. Affixed to the underside of the disk is a pressure-sensitive adhesive, allowing the disk to be attached to at least one surface of existing commercial medicine containers. Embossed on the upper surface of a disk are indicia, typically numbers corresponding to doses of medicine. Additionally protruding above the upper surface are two pins or other projections which limit travel or placement of the indicator arm. One pin, whose location may be fixed for all disks, prevents the patient from attempting to place the arm outside its intended range of travel. The location of the other pin may vary, however, depending on the number of doses of medication the patient is prescribed in a particular interval.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,497 to Aiken discloses an indicator or numbering device for keeping track of the number of vitamins/medicine pills that one has taken. The invention comprises a circular cover disk having a circular base plate disposed therein, along with an indicator disposed between the cover disk and the base plate. The cover disk has an aperture therein which permits viewing of the days of the week which are stamped onto the top of the circular base plate. The indicator operates rotatably between the cover disk and the base plate to indicate the number of medications taken on a given day. The circular base plate may be attached to the top of a medicine bottle via a two-sided, adhesive strip.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,021,980 to Vasta and Rosenblum is directed to a dosage indicator assembly comprising a dosage display panel, a day display panel and a pointer. The pointer is selectively movable into and out of a plurality of predetermined positions relative to the dosage display panel and is structured to selectively align with or point to one or more dosage indicia disposed on the dosage display panel. The day indicia may be selectively disposed or visible through a display window, opening and/or aperture where a user can set or select the day.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,021,981 to Raiti de Boyles is directed to a device to be mounted or adhere to a bottle cap, a box or other surface that tracks when the last day and dose of a medicine was taken or when the next is due. The invention comprises two disk and a dial. The base disk has indicia representing the days of the week, and a central pin protruding from the center that clasp the three elements together. The cover disk has indicia for the dose and a window to see the indicia of the base disk. The dial points to the dose indicia and holds the three components together once the pin from the base disk clasp inside its aperture.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,314,022 to Sollaccio is directed to a medicine bottle cap with time and day markers and includes a main cap member, a first set of indicia, a second set of indicia, a central axle, a first arrow arm and a second arrow arm. Both sets of indicia are in a circular pattern located on the top of the cap. The first set of indicia is a fourteen position set of indicia, seven of which represent ante meridiem and each of the seven days of the week, and seven of which represent post meridiem and each of the seven days of the week. A central axle holds a rotatable first arrow arm that extends to the first set of indicia, and a second arrow arm that extends to the second set of indicia.
U.S. Patent Publication 2003/0192468 to Goertzen is directed to an elastic O-ring or other expandable type ring indicator is disclosed that has indicia around its periphery identifying time, day, date or dose intervals. The ring is secured around either a cap or a neck of a conventional medicine or pill bottle. The cap or neck is provided with a pointer. The user then rotates the cap relative to the container to line up the pointer with the appropriate indicia on the ring. In another embodiment the user rotates the O-ring relative to the container or the cap to line up the pointer with the appropriate indicia on the ring. The ring is reusable and fits on conventional containers and caps.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,556,151 to Seijas is directed to a reminder device that can be attached to the bottom of a medicine container that has a cap. The reminder device has an indicator rotatably mounted on a base in order to rotate and indicate a scheduled event. The base adhesively or frictionally engages the bottom of the container opposite the cap. The base may have an opening for engaging the bottom of the medicine container. Along some transverse plane within the opening, the opening may be shaped to engage the container along most of its periphery. A user can adjust the indicator on the base to indicate a scheduled event when medicine is ingested.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,074,594 to Lu is directed to an indicating device suitable for indicating a number of metered dosages of a substance that have been dispensed from or remain in a container. The indicating device includes at least one primary indicator member having primary dosage indicia, configured as numeric indicia, and a second indicator member having secondary dosage indicia, configured with at least two different colors. The primary and secondary indicator members are coaxially mounted. In one embodiment, a device for dispensing dosages of the substance also includes a dispenser housing and a container.
However, most of the prior art devices are complicated with multiple moving parts making them difficult to use. Therefore, there is a need for a reliable, inexpensive and disposable reminder device to aid in reminding patient either when a dose was administered or of the intervals at which they are due to ingest specific dosages of medicine.